The Carnelian Legacy (13 page)

She turned her back and walked to the windows.

“Marisa, it was not my intention to mislead you in any way—”

“But?”

“But it has just been my experience that fancy titles such as mine build up walls that can hinder most inconveniently.”

“Believe me, I’d rather have a wall to climb over than be lied to any day,” she said angrily. Darian looked as if he’d just been slapped.

He cleared his throat. “The Viscount Savino da Rocha kindly requests that you join him tomorrow morning for breakfast and after that a day filled with hunting and sports.”

“I would be honored to join him, Your Highness.”

“Then I bid you a pleasant night’s sleep, milady.” He bowed hastily and hurried down the corridor.

As his brisk footsteps grew fainter, Marisa slammed the door in frustration. She hadn’t meant to be so hard on him, but he seemed to bring out the worst in her. She was falling for him but didn’t know how to stop it from happening. He wasn’t the type of guy that a girl could be just friends with. Darian Fiore was the sort of man that most women would have trouble remembering to breathe whenever he was around.

As she climbed back into bed, it occurred to her that Darian was like a bar of chocolate she knew she shouldn’t have. And the only way for her to avoid giving in to temptation was to keep the chocolate as far away as possible.

CHAPTER 10

CONFESSIONS

THE
NEXT
MORNING
,
MARISA
awoke from a well-rested sleep just as Helinda was making a fire in her fireplace. The middle-aged, heavy-set woman seemed cheery as she chatted, but Marisa couldn’t understand a word of what she was saying. She grabbed the earpiece off the nightstand and shoved it in her ear.

“…really would be quite something, don’t you agree?”

Marisa just nodded and smiled sweetly. The woman quickly disappeared, leaving her alone to dress. Obviously the hunting and sports activities would be taking place outdoors, so she needed to bundle up unless she wanted to freeze.

As she scoured the closet for something warm, Marisa finally grabbed a chocolate brown dress and slipped on a camel riding coat with fur edging and a matching hat. She didn’t know how to braid her hair into an elaborate hairstyle like the other women in the castle, so she just twisted it into one long braid down her back.

Marisa was starving. After her quarrel with Darian the night before, she’d been too upset to eat anything from the tray. As she headed down the steps toward the dining room, the heavenly scent of fresh-baked bread and cooked eggs wafted up the stairwell.

As she entered the dining salon, Marisa saw that everyone had already been seated and was eating. Savino noticed her immediately and quickly rose from the table.

“Ah, how marvelous it is to see your pretty face again this morning! Are you feeling better after a full night’s sleep?”

Marisa just smiled and nodded. He pushed her chair in for her, and signaled the server to bring her a plate filled with bread, cheese, and eggs.

As soon as the food had been set down in front of her, Savino returned to his seat at the head of the table with Darian on his right. To Savino’s left and on Marisa’s right, the same middle-aged man she saw in the courtyard the night before was quietly sipping his tea. Arrie sat at the opposite end from Savino, enjoying the hearty breakfast.

Directly across from Marisa and sitting next to Darian was the most beautiful young woman she had ever seen. Dressed in a pale-blue beaded dress that matched the color of her eyes, the woman had long, golden hair swept up onto her head with soft wisps that hung loose.

Her crystal earrings sparkled in the morning sun, and her refined, dimpled smile bore a strong resemblance to their host’s. Appearing to be about twenty years old, the blonde beauty had that stuffy, unmistakable air of aristocracy about her.

Savino rose from his chair. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the Lady Marisa, cousin of Lord Arrigo of Terracina and our special guest this week.” Everyone nodded and smiled politely at Marisa.

“Lady Marisa, I would like you to meet Lord Gaspar, my chief advisor.” The man sitting to her right bowed his head slightly and pursed his lips in what she guessed was meant to be a polite smile.

“And the young woman seated next to Prince Darian is my lovely twin sister, the Lady Matilda da Rocha.” The blonde woman bowed her head and smiled sweetly.

As Marisa admired her impeccable beauty, she wondered where this delicate young creature figured into the complex scheme of intrigue.

“Matilda arrived home late last night from a trip to visit family in Vermanlys,” Savino explained. “Unfortunately, she was not present in time to greet you upon your arrival yesterday afternoon, but she shall join our party during the rest of your stay here in Abbadon.”

Marisa took a bite of bread and casually glanced over at Darian as he whispered something to Matilda. The young woman smiled back at him and nodded in agreement as if they had just shared some private joke.

As she watched the two of them side by side, Marisa decided that they made a lovely couple and wondered why Darian hadn’t mentioned her earlier. He had said there weren’t any suitable Fiore princesses to marry, but since Matilda was Gregario’s daughter, Marisa wondered why he couldn’t marry her and ascend the throne.

“This morning I have a wonderful shooting party planned for us all,” Savino announced. “Once everyone has had the opportunity to change into appropriate clothing, we shall set out together.”

Shooting party?
Marisa remembered the monstrous beasts that chased them through the forest and shuddered. She grabbed Arrie’s hand under the table and gently gave it a squeeze.

When he looked at her and saw the silent protestation in her eyes, Arrie’s lips curled in amusement. Without missing a beat, he turned to their host.

“Your Grace, since the Lady Marisa does not consider herself accomplished enough in the sport to take part in the hunt, would it be all right with our host if I stayed behind at the castle to assist her in practicing her skills?”

Savino frowned. “Well, yes—yes of course. Whatever you wish,” he answered, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. “The rest of us shall set out in half an hour and return before lunch. You may both join us later when we shall all walk up to the falls together.”

She mouthed a silent thank you to Arrie as everyone rose from the table and disappeared to different rooms around the castle. He pulled out her chair and escorted her down the two flights of stone steps into a cool, dark chamber.

Marisa stared in amazement at the enormous size of the armory where equipment and all kinds of strange weapons hung on the walls. Picking up a straw target and two longbows, Arrie pointed toward a quiver containing several long arrows in the far corner.

“Marisa, would you please take those arrows for me?”

“You mean you’re really gonna teach me how to do this?”

He chuckled. “But of course! The next time we encounter the rijgen, I fully expect you to be the one to defend us! Now, out you go.”

He led her out through the main courtyard toward a smaller courtyard on the west side where he set up the target. He glanced up at the cloudy skies above.

“It’s going to rain,” he said.

Sure enough, just as he was helping her aim the arrow at the target, light drops of rain began to fall. They ran for cover under a nearby stone archway as it began to come down harder and faster.

“I’m sorry for dragging you away from the hunting party, Arrie, but I just feel so out of place. I didn’t feel like tagging along as a dumb mute with people ten times more important than me.” Marisa watched the dark gray storm clouds race across the skies as she huddled under the archway. “I just can’t pretend to be someone I’m not.”

“Nonsense. I should be thanking you for pulling me away from that dreadful outing. I’m always playing fifth wheel, and I don’t enjoy trudging through the mud in the cold, damp woods in search of the most pathetic creature to shoot at.”

She smiled weakly as she watched the rain spatter across the stones in the courtyard. Somewhere up in the mountains a bolt of lightning struck, and the thunder crashed a few seconds later. The pouring rain was quickly drenching everything in sight as they hunkered down under the archway.

Arrie gazed at her thoughtfully. “Marisa, I do understand what you’re feeling, and I am sorry. I know what it’s like to try to fit in where you don’t belong, but you must believe me, it does get easier. You shall find your place here and get on with your life.”

“But I have no idea
what
I’m supposed to do. I had plans, but when my dad got sick—well, everything just got shoved onto the back burner. But now, all I’ve ever known and loved is gone!”

“Look at this as being the start of a new life. True, it is a very different world, but you can make it here just as well as where you came from. Perhaps even better.”

She stared out at the misty mountains.

“Marisa, look at me.”

Slowly she turned.

“Nothing happens without a reason. Some way or another, a solution will present itself. Maybe it won’t be the same one you would have chosen and it might not happen in your timing, but it will come.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I know it sounds daunting, but you are a very capable young woman,” he said, touching her nose gently. “You just need to build up some confidence and stop worrying so much. Years from now you shall look back on this time and state with confidence that everything worked out for the best.”

“Now you sound like my dad. How did you get to be so smart?”

“Ah, it comes from experience,” he said with a wry smile. A clap of thunder broke somewhere in the skies overhead.

“Can you honestly sit there and tell me that your separation from Astrid was for the best?” she asked.

“I have to believe it is. I gave Astrid up in my mind because I had no choice, but my heart still hopes. Perhaps I’m just a fool, but I’m a firm believer in finding love the second time around.”

“You will, Arrie,” she said softly. “I know you will.”

Marisa studied the tiny streams of water running through the grooves in the cobblestones. All of a sudden, she felt the need to confide in him.

“Arrie, I’m afraid.”

He stared at her in mock amazement. “You? The woman who charged her horse full speed through a pack of bloodthirsty rijgen? Whatever could
you
possibly be afraid of?”

“Now that you mention it, I’ve been meaning to ask you about those awful monsters. Are they in every forest here or just certain areas?”

“No and yes. The best way I can explain the rijgen to you is that they are kind of a three-way cross between a bear, wolf, and ape, but several times more ferocious than any. They seldom attack humans on their own but usually move together as a pack. They remain in certain forested areas and are never spotted outside the cover of the forest.”

“Hmm, strange we don’t have them on Earth.”

“Who says you don’t?”

She stopped. “What do you mean?”

“Surely as a native of the Pacific Northwest you’ve heard of the
Sasquatch
?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You mean Bigfoot?”

“That’s the one. Same thing.”

Marisa looked at him, skeptical.

“Oh yes, it’s true. Not only do people travel through vortices, but animals and inanimate objects can also get caught. Your horse Siena came through with you, correct?”

She nodded slowly.

“Well, although the rijgen are indigenous to Carnelia, down through the centuries, some have gotten trapped and transported through a vortex into your world. The Native Americans have insisted on their existence for years now, but there are just too many skeptics out there ready to quash the truth.”

“But that’s just an urban legend. Somebody declared years ago that Bigfoot was nothing but a colossal hoax.”

“Well, I can assure you, milady, that was no hoax that nearly ripped my arm off,” he said, rubbing his shoulder.

“Nevertheless, they’re out there in your world too, wandering through the forests, along with many other strange animals people from your world like to believe are myths.”

“Unbelievable,” she muttered.

“Now stop avoiding the issue. You were just about to tell me what frightens you.”

She looked at him sheepishly. “I—I’m afraid of falling in love with the wrong person.”

He crossed his arms and smiled. “And would this
wrong person
happen to be a certain tall, dark-haired gentleman saddled down with ruling a country?”

“Yep, that’s the one.”

“Ah, yes. That is a difficult question, isn’t it? I’m afraid I don’t have a quick and easy solution for you. Why is it that we always seem to want the things we cannot possibly have?”

“I’ve never met anyone like him, Arrie. He’s the kind of guy I could seriously fall for—so hard that I don’t think I would ever recover.”